The project makes an important contribution to our understanding of populist networks that transcend nation-states, driven by forms of nationalism(s) that continue to appeal to a population that physically left, but emotionally stayed connected. These networks have material implications informing social, political, and economic changes in countries of origin especially for first generation immigrants, and to an extent for host countries. They have implications for soft power, where horizonal and vertical networks are seldom unidirectional, where diaspora(s) may influence foreign policy and international relations. By focusing on transnational political networks from Pakistan and India through a community perspective, the project centres the narratives of politically active diaspora members, who are attempting to influence and realize an ideal, whether in the form of a Hindu rashtra in India at the expense of ethnic, linguistic, and religious pluralism, or a Naya Pakistan, inspired by a “golden age” of Islam. In an time of greater connectivity and migration, these transnational networks have become important not just for the Indian sub-continent, but also for countries across the globe. This study maps such multidimensional populist networks from India and Pakistan, an exploration essential for understanding the potential for strengthening relationships across countries, and the obstacles and possibilities to social, cultural, and religious diversity and integration in the Global North and South.
